It ain't about the gay, it's about being a reich-wing hypocrite

[jollyreaper2112]

When people here snicker and chortle at the downfall of Yet-Another-Republican-Closet-Case (YARCC), it's because they're hypocrites. Let's step outside of politics for a moment and consider two alegedly gay actors, Tom Cruise and George Clooney. Cruise is a raving loon and his crazy attempts at appearing heterosexual just make it all the more laughable. Even if he really is straight, he's still a loon. Clooney, on the other hand, has his shit together. Is he gay, is he straight? Not really an issue because he doesn't make it an issue.

If the leader of a gay-friendly progressive church came out, it wouldn't be a big scandal. He wasn't staying in the closet because of the constraints of his doctrine, he just wasn't personally ready to be out and open yet. No big deal! And the same goes for Dem pols. If they do not run on discriminatory practices or use gay-bashing for political expediency, then being gay is their own business and who cares? But when you have gays deep inside the Bush administration (yes, that does sound wrong), it's news. It's also cause for a little schnaudenfreude when we find out.

This is not gay bashing. It's more like the Strom Thurmond situation -- an avowed race-baiter and segregationalist asshole fathered a black baby out of wedlock. Laughing at him for that doesn't mean we hate "negras", we just think he's full of shit and has done a wonderful job of proving it. Strom hates black people but he's getting brown sugar on the side. Haggard says God hates fags he must think it's ok if he's the top. It's just priceless!!! Catching Richard Simmons at a gay bar? Not an issue. Catching Richard Simmons at a McDonalds? Priceless!!!

[mike_c]

1. I strongly disagree....

Haggard has helped to create a social setting where someone's sexual orientation can be used as a weapon against them, but the wielders of that weapon share responsibility for the social evil it represents. "They" do it in god's name, "we" do it to expose hypocrisy, but "it" is wrong, no matter what the motive.

[NMDemDist2]

2. by their fruits, ye shall know them

men like Haggard have caused immeasurable suffering to lots of people

gay teen age suicides are satistically above normal due to the lessons of shame expounded by men like Haggard

like an newbie just told me, let those who are without sin cast the first stone. If Haggard makes his (extremely comfortable) living by casting stones against behavior in other people that he enjoys in secret, it is only karmic that one of those stones comes back to smack him upside the head.

[babylonsister]

3. It is a big scandal when a man who espouses

'family values', speaks to the blivet weekly, and is anti-gay anything, proves to be what he preaches against. Hypocritical, yes, but more than that, he's hurting people who don't deserve it while partaking of the same thing he supposedly abhors.
I don't consider my opinions gay-bashing at all. I have no problem with gay people, but I do have a problem with the likes of these faux Christians, who, BTW, have or are about to piss off a lot of people.
I read it as rethug values; do what you want, preach to the choir, have fun, collect the moola. Was it ever about this guy's religion?